2004 Media Monitoring Market Survey Results Released
New PR Survey: 2004 Market Survey of Media Measurement, Evaluation and Analysis
New IPR Measurement Bibliography
New Blog Monitoring Service
"Do It Yourself" Vs. Company Service
What PR Can Learn from Activists
Newspaper Circulation Continues to Erode

    Slipstream Group, LLC, (www.slipstream.com) an independent market research company, this week released the results of the 2004 Worldwide Market Survey of Media Monitoring. CyberAlert, Inc., a worldwide media monitoring company, is making the executive summary of the report available f.r.e.e. of charge at its website: http://www.cyberalert.com/execsummary.html.
    Over 1,400 users of media monitoring services for public relations and marketing completed the online survey during the summer. The survey results show for the first time how companies, government-agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and PR agencies use media monitoring services. In addition, the report examines the needs, expectations, and levels of satisfaction of users of media monitoring services worldwide and evaluates the full range of news monitoring services. The report includes in-depth analysis of the current state of media monitoring, budget expenditures, user assessment of key news monitoring features, user satisfaction with various types of news monitoring services, and more.
    Survey findings include:

• On average, PR and marketing professionals use three to four different means to monitor news media.
• 62% of users currently pay for paper-based clipping services (e.g.: Burrelle's/Luce, Bacon's Information) and 28% say it is their primary source of news monitoring.
• 54% currently use electronic news services (e.g.: Factiva, Lexis-Nexis) and 42% use online news monitoring services (e.g.: CyberAlert).
• $808 per month is the median budget for outsourced media monitoring services or just under $10,000 per year.
• 50% of users want clips from print publications delivered within one day or faster.
• 29% of users check their clips only once per week or less.
• Only 1 in 5 users of media monitoring services is "very satisfied" with their current primary provider.
• Free news search engines received the lowest satisfaction ratings.
• Inadequate media coverage, missed clips and slow delivery are the chief criticisms of the media monitoring services.
• PR professionals continue to focus their media monitoring efforts on newspapers, even though recent studies show that consumers have shifted their attention from print to electronic news media, especially cable TV and the Internet.
• There is disparity between users' expectations and the services they purchase. While users expect very low levels of missed clips and next day delivery, they continue to spend their budgets on paper-based press clipping services that are unlikely to meet their expectations.

    In general, the survey results show that users rate the newer electronic news monitoring services higher than traditional press clipping services and in-house monitoring. Although users have clearly not jettisoned the traditional approaches to news monitoring, they are making the transition to newer electronic services that better meet their expectations for fewer missed clips, more timely clip delivery and digital storage of their clips for improved media measurement.
    Click Here for the f.r.e.e. 7-page Executive Summary at http://www.cyberalert.com/execsummary.html.
    The complete survey report (47 pages, 34 tables) of the 2004 Worldwide Market Survey on Media Monitoring is available at a special introductory price of $99.95 from CyberAlert (http://www.cyberalert.com/surveypromo.com). Upon request, Slipstream Group will develop customized reports for individual companies. For additional information, contact surveys@slipstreamgroup.com.

    Slipstream Group is currently conducting a follow-on survey, the 2004 Worldwide Survey of Media Measurement, Evaluation and Analysis, designed to assess... The survey is available at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=94457567901. All PR professionals are invited to complete the survey which requires less than 10 minutes. All respondents who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for a free year of news monitoring from CyberAlert or $500 in cash.

    The Institute for Public Relations has published a new Bibliography of Public Relations Measurement, developed by Tina Carroll and Don W. Stacks of the University of Miami and underwritten by a grant from General Motors. The 10-page PDF document includes about 90 articles ranging from historical to recent and from elementary principles to advanced research topics. The document can be downloaded f.r.e.e. of charge at http://www.instituteforpr.com/ measurement_bibliography.phtml.

    CyberAlert, the worldwide media monitoring service, announced this week that it is now monitoring over 100,000 Web logs ("blogs") on a daily basis. The blogs monitored by CyberAlert are largely focused on key industry areas including technology, health and medicine, financial services, automotive, consumer goods, entertainment, environment, activist issues and corporate governance. The cost of blog monitoring is $195 per month per search query with up to 10 key words and 1,000 clips per month. Clients may specify blogs to be added to the daily blog monitoring list. Free Trial available for a limited time at: https://secure.cyberalert.com/ftorder.html

    Jim Jubak, MSN Money Markets Editor, has written a timely article (http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/P89195.asp) chastising companies for requiring consumers to "do it yourself" instead of providing customer service — and thereby undermining sales and corporate reputation. According to Jubak, it simply takes too much time and effort for consumers to complete many transactions. The level of irritation is high enough that consumers are walking away from transactions, often because of failures in customer service technologies. That observation is confirmed by thousands of rants about customer service in online discussion groups and message boards. Two key points: 1) Cutting customer service to reduce costs or failing to invest in customer service technologies may juice profits in the short term but those decisions reduce long-term sales and customer value. 2) Consumers who voice their opinions online have the potential to reach millions of readers and often carry as much clout as journalists, impacting corporate and brand reputation. Monitoring discussion groups and message boards on the Internet can provide valuable insights into consumer feelings about the company, its brands and services — and can provide an extraordinarily effective "early warning system" on potential threats to corporate reputation.

    In recent years, many activist organizations have successfully embedded their beliefs into the national psyche and implemented their agendas through new federal and state regulations. In a presentation titled "Preparing for a Campaign", Dr. Mary O'Brien, an environmental consultant with the Science and Environmental Health Network, revealed activist tactics to instigate change. Ross S. Irvine of ePublicRelations (http://www.epublicrelations.ca), who labels himself a corporate activist, has parsed the presentation and suggests what corporate PR professionals can learn from the activists. Click Here for Article.

    More than 70 percent of the newspapers measured by the Audit Bureau of Circulations lost circulation during the last six months, according an ABC report released on November 1, 2004. For the six-month period ending September 30, 560 of 841 daily newspapers lost circulation. Major newspapers recording daily circulation declines included the Washington Post (-3 percent daily), The Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post (-6 percent daily), the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the New York Daily News (-1.6 percent daily).
    According to data from the Newspaper Association of America, about 53% adults in the top 50 markets now read a newspaper each weekday, down significantly over the past five years. The NAA data also show that 17 million adults in the top 50 markets use their online service to read a newspaper.

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